If you watched the news today, then you should be aware of the shootings that occured on Virginia Tech's campus early this morning. Words cannot express the barbarity of such an event, and I cannot begin to imagine the horror and pain that all those affected by this must be going through.
As a Residential Staff member and college student, this news hits extremely close to home. Scenarios of what would have happened if I, or one of my fellow ResStaffers, was faced with the same situation where the slain residence advisor found themselves have been racing through my head. Consider that the classrooms where the gunman begun his slaying spree could easily have been classrooms in Angell Hall or the Chem Building. Even with a 300-page book to read and a five-page paper due at 2:00PM, I cannot shake these thoughts out of my head.
The prevailing thought in my head has been this: what if something like this were to happen on campus and one of my closest friends were one of the wounded or, worse yet, deceased? Especially putting this into perspective with only 11 more days until graduation, I couldn't even imagine the pain I would be feeling. There are so many people that I love and care about on this campus that I wouldn't be able to function knowing that any of them was taken away from me. It pains me to know that there will be VT soon-to-be-graduates that will be leaving VT in this situation. It's times like these that I am reminded that I cannot take any days for granted, and that I should do my best to let everyone I love and cherish know this.
As the days go on, all I can hope is that some peace can be found and that healing time can begin. I offer my prayers and deepest condolences to those personally affected by this tragedy.
ETA: 04/17/2007 @ 12:57PM
Gunman student from South Korea
Considering the amount of backlash that the Arab-American community received post-September-11th, I am extremely concerned about the potential backlash that the Asian and Asian-American comunities could receive,. Asians in America are held to rather demeaning stereotypes already (think the nerdy-engineer types or the submissive exoticism of women and gay men), and I feel this incident will prove to further create a negative image of an Asian-American. Some might argue that because the Asian diaspora in America is so diverse and established that a backlash would not be as severe as post-September 11th. To that, I say speak to the Indian-American community, especially the Sikhs. Check this link out... you'd be really surprised to see how ignorant people can get in times of grief.
I wouldn't be so vocal about this if not for the fact that at least 5-6 groups on Facebook have popped up within the last few hours with names like "Guns Don't Kill People. Asian Kids at VT Do." And while something like Facebook may seem harmless, especially to those who may not be familiar with it, you'd be amazed at how much you can mobilize a group of people through Facebook (I mean, this is how I got tons of people to my events and parties throughout college!)
Again, I want to reiterate that the tragedy in VA Tech was a deplorable act, one which was carried out by a person who used cowardice and malice to sort out whatever feelings he had at the time. However, I stress the fact that this IS NOT a trait of the Asian Diaspora in the United States. We, just as everyone else affected by this tragedy, stand behind those at VA Tech, and offer our support in any way we can. I pray that I don't see a backlash within the next few days, although I wonder what could happen.
As a Residential Staff member and college student, this news hits extremely close to home. Scenarios of what would have happened if I, or one of my fellow ResStaffers, was faced with the same situation where the slain residence advisor found themselves have been racing through my head. Consider that the classrooms where the gunman begun his slaying spree could easily have been classrooms in Angell Hall or the Chem Building. Even with a 300-page book to read and a five-page paper due at 2:00PM, I cannot shake these thoughts out of my head.
The prevailing thought in my head has been this: what if something like this were to happen on campus and one of my closest friends were one of the wounded or, worse yet, deceased? Especially putting this into perspective with only 11 more days until graduation, I couldn't even imagine the pain I would be feeling. There are so many people that I love and care about on this campus that I wouldn't be able to function knowing that any of them was taken away from me. It pains me to know that there will be VT soon-to-be-graduates that will be leaving VT in this situation. It's times like these that I am reminded that I cannot take any days for granted, and that I should do my best to let everyone I love and cherish know this.
As the days go on, all I can hope is that some peace can be found and that healing time can begin. I offer my prayers and deepest condolences to those personally affected by this tragedy.
ETA: 04/17/2007 @ 12:57PM
Gunman student from South Korea
Considering the amount of backlash that the Arab-American community received post-September-11th, I am extremely concerned about the potential backlash that the Asian and Asian-American comunities could receive,. Asians in America are held to rather demeaning stereotypes already (think the nerdy-engineer types or the submissive exoticism of women and gay men), and I feel this incident will prove to further create a negative image of an Asian-American. Some might argue that because the Asian diaspora in America is so diverse and established that a backlash would not be as severe as post-September 11th. To that, I say speak to the Indian-American community, especially the Sikhs. Check this link out... you'd be really surprised to see how ignorant people can get in times of grief.
I wouldn't be so vocal about this if not for the fact that at least 5-6 groups on Facebook have popped up within the last few hours with names like "Guns Don't Kill People. Asian Kids at VT Do." And while something like Facebook may seem harmless, especially to those who may not be familiar with it, you'd be amazed at how much you can mobilize a group of people through Facebook (I mean, this is how I got tons of people to my events and parties throughout college!)
Again, I want to reiterate that the tragedy in VA Tech was a deplorable act, one which was carried out by a person who used cowardice and malice to sort out whatever feelings he had at the time. However, I stress the fact that this IS NOT a trait of the Asian Diaspora in the United States. We, just as everyone else affected by this tragedy, stand behind those at VA Tech, and offer our support in any way we can. I pray that I don't see a backlash within the next few days, although I wonder what could happen.
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